Rail Cruising Offers Great Views Of The American West
Looking for a novel vacation idea that travel industry experts say is the modern-day equivalent of a 20th century luxury ocean cruise? You might want to try rail cruising, which unites enthusiastic travelers with vintage luxury trains gliding through some of America’s most picturesque countryside. Taking anywhere from only a few days to more than a week, these train excursions offer luxurious furnishings, gourmet dining and world-class service to a small clientele that is generally limited to just a hundred or so passengers.
If you watch TV’s Travel Channel, you may already be acquainted with rail cruising from a travel show about one of these tour trains, the American Orient Express (AOE). The train, which was recently renamed the GrandLuxe Express when AOE’s parent company changed its name to GrandLuxe Rail Journeys, is made up of polished, aerodynamically-shaped lounge and dining cars that originally hail from the 1940s and 1950s. Inside, mahogany and brass give the cars a stylish art-deco flair that definitely embodies the Golden Age of train travel.
GrandLuxe Rail Journeys sends its trains on itineraries that offer passengers views and experiences never dreamed of by previous generations of steamship cruisers. One of the most spectacular has to be National Parks of the West, a 10-day luxury excursion that starts its south-to-north leg in Albuquerque, New Mexico. From there, the train winds its way to Santa Fe, Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, a choice of Bryce Canyon or Zion National Parks, Salt Lake City, Yellow Stone National Park and finally, Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. There’s also a version of the excursion that starts in Wyoming and then heads south (instead of north) to finish up in Albuquerque.
Another great trip has to be the 9-day journey that includes four of the Pacific Northwest’s most stunning national parks. For those who start their journey with the the eastbound leg of the Great Northwestern National Parks tour, the trip gets underway in Seattle, Washington, and heads first to Mt. Rainier National Park, where train passengers can enjoy a stunning view of the Cascade Range’s highest peak (14,410 feet). From there it’s on to the Columbia River Gorge, beautiful Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, pristine Glacier National Park, Helena, Montana, and finally Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Westbound travelers start at Grand Teton and wrap up their cruise in the Emerald City of Seattle.